Several major groups have announced their opposition to John Roberts for the Supreme Court, including People for the American Way, Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). These organizations join the many major groups that are opposing Roberts, including the Feminist Majority, the National Organization for Women, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and MoveOn.org, among others.

“Our review of John Roberts’ record and the tens of thousands of pages of documents released by the Administration show that confirming John Roberts would endanger much of the progress made by the nation in civil rights over the past half-century,” said Ralph Neas, president of People for the American Way (PFAW). “If John Roberts replaces Sandra Day O’Connor the balance of the court will shift to the right for decades to come, imperiling Americans’ constitutional rights and liberties.” Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said,” Ultimately, this is about an individual’s right to privacy. From women’s rights to religious freedom to civil rights, there is powerful evidence that Judge Roberts would rule against equality.”

While the papers that have already been released from Roberts’ time in the Reagan Administration show Roberts’ hostility toward women’s rights and the right to privacy, Senate Democrats are urging the releases of more than 2,100 memos and letters that have been withheld by government archivists. The role of the White House in the decision to withhold these papers, which include memos on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Iran Contra scandal, is unclear, according to the Washington Post.